How to sell footage on Storyblocks

Is the Storyblocks program open?

Yes, by application. On 12 October 2026, the Storyblocks Contributor Portal home page showed an "Apply to Join" form for video and audio contributors. The program is called the Member Library Partner Program: members pay a monthly or annual subscription to access the Member Library, and contributors are paid from that revenue based on how much of their content is downloaded.

How to apply

The application form on contribute.storyblocks.com asks for:

• your name, email, a public username and a password;
• the content you want to upload: video, audio, or both;
• links to portfolios that show your best work, such as other stock sites, a personal website or a reel. The form says not to include image portfolios or social media links;
• whether you apply as a freelancer or as part of a company.

Reviewers ask two questions: is the content high quality, and does it meet what members are looking for? Storyblocks accepts HD, 4K and 360 footage, animations and templates. Applications are usually reviewed within a few days but can take a few weeks or more. Once approved, you upload through the Contributor Portal: a web uploader that takes up to 100 files at a time, or sFTP for larger batches. Releases go through the portal, not FTP.

A portfolio that already sells elsewhere is the strongest link you can give. If you do not have one yet, start with Shutterstock or Adobe Stock, which have no application step.

How Storyblocks pays: the revenue pool

Storyblocks does not sell clips one by one. Its agreement sets up a Member Library Revenue Pool each month and pays you a percentage of it, your Revenue Share. That percentage comes from the value members place on your downloads compared with every other contributor in the program.

The agreement gives this example, which the About page repeats as a chart:

Four points from the agreement and FAQ set the limits of that example:

• The pool size is not published. Storyblocks calls its method proprietary and adjusts the pool at least once a quarter to follow subscription revenue and limit dilution as contributors join.
• No rate per download. The agreement says Storyblocks cannot tell you your exact percentage or your earnings per download.
• Trials and enterprise count. Downloads during free trials are credited at an assumed $10 subscription; enterprise and API customers count by their subscription fees.
• The formula can change. Changes take effect 15 days after Storyblocks posts them and emails you.

The About page adds that if company revenue increases 10%, so does the amount shared with contributors. It also says Storyblocks has over 180,000 active members. Neither figure tells you what one clip will earn.

Payout dates, methods and fees

Payments go out on the 15th of each month for the previous month's earnings. Balances under the threshold carry over. The threshold depends on the method; the FAQ gives $10 for Payoneer. Changes to your payment details after the 5th of the month can make you miss that month's payment.

Storyblocks also runs Snapshots, in beta: still images taken from eligible 4K footage, paid per download like video and on the same date. Eligible portfolios were opted in by default unless the contributor answered an email survey within 14 days; you can leave with 30 days' notice.

Exclusivity, removal and AI training

Read the title of the agreement: Member Library and Machine Learning Partner Program Agreement. Besides the subscription library, it lets Storyblocks build datasets from your content to train AI models, and pays a Generative AI revenue share on or about 15 June and 15 December. If you later remove content, Storyblocks stops adding it to new datasets, but models already trained on it cannot be untrained and their use continues. We found no clause that keeps clips in the library and out of datasets. How the other agencies handle this is in stock footage and AI training licenses.

Footage requirements

Two rules differ from the agencies most contributors already use. The 3-minute limit is far above Adobe Stock's 60 seconds, and visibly interlaced footage is refused. Clips with a minor and no model release are not approved, even marked as editorial. For the specs elsewhere, see stock video requirements by agency.

Storyblocks next to per-license agencies

Since none of the three asks for exclusivity, Storyblocks can sit next to the others rather than replace them. Its pool model rewards clips that subscribers download often, while a per-license agency pays per sale. Whether an extra agency is worth the upload time is weighed in the best sites to sell stock footage.